


as days go by (the night's on fire)

by dreamsofolicity



Series: prompts from tumblr [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Language, Sexual Content, vigilante!Felicity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 12:41:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11760117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsofolicity/pseuds/dreamsofolicity
Summary: After five years of fighting for her life, Felicity Smoak returns home to save her city. She intends to pursue her crusade alone but finds that a little help is needed from time to time. Enter Oliver Queen, a face from her past that she doesn't particularly want to become part of her future. But she is not the only one who has changed. Felicity finds herself growing closer and closer to Oliver as she learns more about the man that he has become and they work together to try to save the city that they both love.





	as days go by (the night's on fire)

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am writing a vigilante!Felicity fic. It is from a prompt given to me on tumblr by [pleasantfanandstudent](http://pleasantfanandstudent.tumblr.com/).
> 
> In an effort not to let any of them influence my writing, I've avoided reading any other vigilante!Felicity fics. So any similarities will be purely by accident. And while the first chapter will seem very familiar, I promise this will not simply be a transplant of Felicity into Oliver's role. I'm going to try my best to keep her true to her own character, while keeping Oliver true to his character, while also sticking to the role reversal trope. So I'm walking a very fine line here and hopefully it won't blow up and be terrible. Just stick with me, is all I ask.
> 
> Fic Title: Hurricane - Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Felicity stared straight ahead, taking slow, measured breaths as she stared out at the city she’d come back to save. It looked deceptively peaceful from where she sat on her hospital bed, her legs crossed and her hands placed on either knee. Starling City General was loud and busy, bringing back some of the worst memories of the five years she was away. She needed to center herself, to lock out the sounds and focus before her stressed state forced them to sedate her like they did in Hong Kong. Closing her eyes, she recalled Tatsu’s words from so long ago.

_Your head is too busy. You need to quiet it._

_Close your eyes. Take a deep breath._

Felicity did exactly that, feeling her chest expand beneath the light blue scrub top that she wore before she let out all of the breath in her lungs.

_Slowly. In through your nose. Out through your mouth._

She kept her eyes closed, concentrating on loosening every muscle in her body one by one.

_You’re floating, in nothingness. All that exists is your breath. Any thoughts you have are clouds. They just drift away._

Even without the candle in her hands, Felicity felt her heart rate slowing as the tension leached from her body. Tilting her chin up, she kept her breathing even when she heard the low murmur of voices from the hallway just outside of her door. It wasn’t until the doorknob turned behind her that her eyes sprang open and she slowly let out the last breath.

“I told you,” a familiar voice came from behind her. “Yachts fucking suck.”

Felicity dropped her legs off of the bed, sliding off with purposeful movements until she was turning to face the one true family member that she had left. A smile slowly formed on her face as he took slow steps forward.

“Tommy,” she said, his name just one of many that kept her going for five years.

“Hey,” he said with a grin, pulling his hands out of the pockets of his jacket.

Felicity rounded the bed and took several strides forward, throwing herself into his arms without hesitation. It was what the old Felicity would have done and she needed to be as close to that person as possible. It helped that Tommy’s hugs were as good as ever, warm and comforting in a way that made her think of home. Her eyes stung slightly at the memory of holding a gun to the back of his head and threatening him to save his life. Pulling away, Felicity looked up into his shining grey eyes.

“You’ve gotten old,” she said, poking at his shoulder teasingly.

Tommy scoffed but looked far from offended.

“And _you_ managed to keep those same glasses for five years on a deserted island. How is that possible?” he asked.

Felicity didn’t bother saying that they had actually been broken and fixed quite a few times, even replaced at one point with an identical looking pair. Not to mention the year in Russia that she spent mostly in contacts.

“Just lucky I guess,” she said with a shrug.

Tommy’s eyebrows rose and she knew he was thinking about the irony of the statement.

“The doc just said I can get you out of here whenever you’re ready to go,” he said, stepping away from her to pick up a bag by the door. “I brought you some regular clothes to change into and a few things to help you wash up.”

The duffel bag that he handed her was unfamiliar. Felicity could tell that it was well used and likely belonged to a female. She would have bet her entire trust fund, if it still existed, that Tommy didn’t pack this bag. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek regardless.

“Thank you,” Felicity said before moving into the bathroom.

As soon as the door was shut, she let the smile slip from her face and braced her hands on the counter, taking slow, deep breaths once more. If it was that tiring to keep up the facade for just a few minutes, how was she going to cope for hours in public? Biting down on her lower lip, she lifted her eyes to look in the mirror. Her hair was less than ideal, falling out of the ponytail she’d managed to wrangle it in on the flight just before she landing in Starling City. The brown color was lighter than Tommy’s but darker than her father’s had been. Closing her mind to the memories that particular thought brought to the surface, Felicity continued studying her reflection.

Her eyes were still the same bright blue behind her glasses. Despite years of fighting to survive, they hadn’t dimmed even though part of her always wondered if they would. There was a small but noticeable scar at her hairline. She could easily cover it with makeup or her hair when the time came. Her nose was covered with a smattering of freckles that would fade now that she was no longer spending the majority of her time out in the sun. Slipping her glasses off, Felicity tugged the scrub top over her head and immediately turned away from the mirror.

She didn’t need to look to see the scars on her skin. She saw them enough in her nightmares. Squatting down to open the duffel bag, she pulled out some clothes and toiletries as well as a pair of comfortable looking shoes. Whoever had packed was wise enough to anticipate that she wouldn’t want to wear anything too constricting. Felicity dressed quickly, brushing her teeth and smoothing her hair back into a topknot before tossing everything back in the bag and replacing her glasses on her nose. As she walked out with it tucked in her elbow, she found Tommy and Dr. Lamb talking again.

“Miss Smoak,” Dr. Lamb said, giving her a warm smile. “You sure you’re ready to be discharged?”

She forced a smile in return, nodding once.

“I’m ready for normal,” Felicity lied.

He looked satisfied by that, yet surprised at her optimism. Felicity didn’t blame him. If she wasn’t faking it, he would have every reason to be just a little bit alarmed.

“Well as I was telling your cousin, you may have a difficult time adjusting,” he said, holding out two small pieces of paper. “These are prescriptions for pills that will help with anxiety and sleeping. You’re a smart girl so I trust that you’ll read the instructions very carefully.”

Felicity didn’t want to take the slips. They’d insisted on giving her a psych eval even though she refused several times. The sleeping pills would make her drowsy and she needed a clear head more than anything. There was no telling what the anxiety medicine might to do to her. But she would fill the prescriptions just to humor the doctor and her cousin, even if the pills sat in a drawer unused.

“Thank you, Dr. Lamb,” she said as pleasantly as she could manage, taking the slips to fold them and stick them in the pocket of her jeans.

Then she turned towards the bed, squatting down to pull out the wooden crate that had seen better days. Gripping it in her other hand, she stood up and turned around only to meet Tommy’s questioning gaze.

“You came back from a deserted island with luggage?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Felicity pasted an innocent grin on her face.

“Knick knacks,” she said with a shrug.

He didn’t seem convinced but she could tell that he wouldn’t push her.

“Do you want me to carry it?”

Tommy was just trying to be helpful but Felicity didn’t trust this case in anyone’s hands but her own. There was a lock on it but she couldn’t take the risk of someone snooping through it before she had the chance to get started. So she shook her head and offered the duffel bag to him.

“You can carry that,” Felicity said lightly.

He took it, still eyeing the crate that she carried just before turning away to lead her out of the room. Felicity ignored the stares of nurses and doctors alike as she made her way to the elevator, lifting her chin slightly and starting straight forward just like her mother taught her all those years ago. They went straight down to the parking garage where a town car was waiting. Once the case was stowed safely in the trunk, Felicity slid into the backseat with Tommy and folded her hands in her lap.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your dad didn’t bring me flowers,” she said, staring out of the window as they slowly made their way out into the daylight.

Blinking against the bright sun, she could see a crowd of photographers at the main entrance to the hospital, hoping in vain that they may catch a glimpse of a rescued heiress. They were doomed to be disappointed since she was driving away in a nondescript car with darkened windows.

“Merlyn Global is keeping him very busy,” Tommy said in a tone of voice that assured her he didn’t believe the excuse either.

The truth was that Malcolm Merlyn never particularly liked her father. If he hadn’t been the brother of his wife, Rebecca Merlyn née Smoak, Malcolm probably would have cut all ties long before Noah Smoak shot himself on a raft right in front of Felicity. She knew for a fact that her dearest uncle had no problem merging Smoak Technologies with Merlyn Global a little over a year after she and her father were officially labeled as dead. A short trip to Starling City a couple of years ago gave her ample time to learn exactly what happened after the shipwreck.

“He’s already gathered a group of lawyers together to figure out how to return your trust fund to you, as well as everything else your mom and dad left to you in their wills,” Tommy assured her.

Felicity wasn’t worried about that. Even if she didn’t have her ways of getting money to fund her mission, she knew that her cousin wouldn’t let her fall into destitution. But she would need access to the factory in the Glades that she knew for a fact her father left to her in his will. So it was a good thing that Malcolm didn’t intend to leave her with nothing because Felicity really didn’t want the publicity that would come if she had to take her uncle to court for what was rightly hers, even if she knew that she would probably win.

“So where am I staying?” she asked as if she didn’t already know the answer.

“I’ve got a room for you in my place, if that’s alright,” Tommy said.

Felicity looked over at him, smiling as she reached over to squeeze his hand.

“My hero,” she said in a soft voice.

Tommy gave her a small, genuine smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as well. He didn’t comment on the hard calluses that he could feel on her previously soft hands. Felicity was grateful for it.

“I’m glad you’re back, Fe,” he said.

Felicity nodded, her chest constricting at the old nickname that she hadn’t heard in forever.

“Me too,” she said, looking out of the window again.

When they arrived at his building and rode up the elevator to the top floor, Felicity could sense someone else in the apartment as soon as they stepped through the door. She tried not to tense up visibly but Tommy could still see the wary look on her face when a noise came from further inside.

“It’s my cook.” he said.

She nodded but didn’t quite let her guard down as he closed the door behind them and led her through the entryway to a large, open main area. Her eyes skated over the nicely decorated living and dining room before finally settling on a kind-looking woman.

“Helen this is my cousin, Felicity,” Tommy introduced them.

“Hello Miss Felicity,” Helen said with a warm smile.

Felicity simply waved with one hand and tightened the other around the crate that she held.

“I’ll show you your room,” Tommy said.

He’d always been good at reading her, especially her discomfort. Felicity would have to be better at masking herself around him. She couldn’t afford to be an open book anymore. Once Tommy opened the door for her and stepped aside, she walked into the sizable room that was complete with a huge closet and an en suite bathroom. She expected no less from her cousin. Tommy had a taste for the ridiculously extravagant, just like the rest of Starling City’s elite.

“This okay?” he asked as Felicity turned in a circle to take everything in.

She smiled at him, shrugging one shoulder.

“It’ll do in a pinch,” Felicity said.

Tommy looked pleased, setting the duffel bag by the door.

“Take as long as you need, get settled,” he said, hovering in the doorway. “Dinner should be ready in a few minutes.”

She nodded along with him, letting him know that she was listening without saying anything.

“I’ll be out in a few minutes,” Felicity told him.

Tommy nodded, leaving the door open as he turned to leave. As soon as she was alone, Felicity dropped to her knees and shoved the crate under the bed to make sure that no one would get to it but her. After slipping her shoes off, she simply sat on the bed and stared around the room that would be her home for at least the next few days. Felicity would get her own place soon, just so that she wouldn’t have to explain her strange comings and goings to Tommy when he inevitably questioned where she disappeared to all night. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she leaned back against the headboard. It was hard to fully grasp the fact that she was home.

Even Tommy’s familiar smiles and warm hugs didn’t feel quite real after all that she’d gone through. As she stared around the foreign room, Felicity didn’t have to wonder if she’d ever actually go back to feeling normal again. She knew the answer already. When she heard the sound of Tommy talking to someone, Felicity initially dismissed it as the cook until he paused for a few moments and continued. Curiosity got the best of her and she slid off of the bed, slipping out of her room silently to make her way down the hall.

Tommy was in the kitchen, his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he took a bottle of wine out of a cabinet. Felicity recognized it as one of her favorites from before the island. He didn’t notice that she was there, hidden in the shadows of the hallway, as he pulled two glasses out as well.

“She’s different,” Tommy finally answered, setting them all on the granite topped island. “Not in a bad way. She just… is.”

The person on the other end of the phone replied to him as he turned away to search through some drawers.

“Where is my damn corkscrew?” Tommy wondered aloud.

Felicity’s hands curled into fists as a memory pushed through the hard walls she’d set up in her mind.

_“Where do you keep the bottle opener on this thing?”_

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut for just a moment.

“I know, Laurel,” he said with a sigh, finally finding the corkscrew. “I just wish I could make it easier on her. I wish she knew that no one blames her for what happened.”

_“This is all my fault. I should have known better,” Sara lamented, dropping her head back on the pillows of the bed._

_“Than to sleep with your sister’s boyfriend? Yeah I would say so,” Felicity said with a roll of her eyes, giving her best friend none of the pity she was searching for._

_“To be fair, I had my eyes on him way before Laurel ever did,” she said defensively._

_“So you’ve said,” Felicity replied as a particularly loud crash of thunder sounded outside of the rocking boat._

_They both jumped, looking to the window. Taking a deep breath, Felicity tried to calm herself. Her father was an experienced seaman and the captain knew what he was doing. They were perfectly safe._

_“If you count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder, you can tell how far away the storm is,” Sara said, sitting up on her knees. “See? One… two… three…”_

Felicity tore herself from the memory, realizing that her hand was braced heavily on the wall just as Tommy’s eyes lifted and fixed directly on her.

“Hey,” he said, his eyes widening slightly at her sudden appearance. “Everything okay?”

She didn’t say anything, simply nodding as she stepping out of the hallway.

“I gotta go,” Tommy said into the phone. “We’re about to eat dinner. Yeah, I’ll see you later.”

With that, he hung up and carried the wine, glasses, and corkscrew over to the table.

“Laurel Lance?” Felicity said, her voice a little lower and less light than she meant it to be. “You’re still friends?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Tommy said with a nervous undertone to his voice as he lifted his hand to rub at the back of his neck.

It made sense. The duffel bag he brought her filled with clothes that were pretty perfect for the situation. Tommy knew a lot of things but Felicity never knew him to be all that interested in female fashion unless it was lying on his bedroom floor. He may have been friends with Laurel since they were young but Felicity was fairly confident that no longer covered exactly what they were now. She wasn’t willing to let herself go too far down that rabbit hole. Thinking of Laurel and Tommy would start making her think of the third in their trio and she definitely wasn’t about to let herself dwell on any thoughts of Oliver Queen.

“You ready to eat?” Tommy asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

With a single nod, Felicity crossed the room to the table and sat down, her eyes scanning the dishes laid out in front of her. While it all smelled delicious, she could already tell that the rich, flavorful food would make her sick if she ate too much.

“Let’s see, what all did you miss while you were gone?” Tommy said once they started eating.

As he began listing off different scandals, events, and various pop culture facts, Felicity resisted the urge to block him out. It was easy to focus too heavily on what weighed on her mind. Tommy might have done his best to put of an air of shallow indifference but she knew the truth. He’d be hurt if she didn’t at least try to put an effort into talking to him.

“How is Aunt Rebecca’s clinic doing?” Felicity asked, saying the first words that popped to the forefront of her mind.

Tommy’s eyes dimmed just slightly, the way that they always did when his mother was mentioned. That hadn’t changed in the last five years.

“It’s good,” he said, averting his eyes as he nodded. “The Glades have gone to shit but at least the place is still doing good work.”

Felicity frowned at that. The Glades weren’t exactly a walk through the park before she wound up on the island but they certainly weren’t as bad as Tommy was making them out to be now. What had happened?

“Tell me about you,” she said, changing the subject before taking a slow sip of her wine.

Felicity knew better than to overdo it. Her tolerance for alcohol was undoubtedly pathetic after five years of minimal drinking.

“There’s not much to tell,” Tommy said with a shrug, putting the fork down on his plate. “I’m just… doing what I’ve always done. Everything is pretty much normal as far as I’m concerned.”

She narrowed her eyes just a little bit.

“When did dating Laurel become your normal?”

Tommy’s eyes widened as he clearly tried to come with a good way to answer her.

“I didn’t want to upset you,” he finally said.

“Why would it upset me? I have no problem with Laurel,” Felicity said with a shrug, looking down at her plate.

She would have to push some of the food around a little bit to make it seem like she ate more than she did. Her stomach was already heavy with the few bites she’d taken.

“She doesn’t blame you. No one does,” Tommy said, reading the tense undertone to her words. “What happened to Sara isn’t your fault.”

Felicity gripped her fork tightly, her vision unfocusing as she tried not to remember the sound of her own pathetic, useless voice screaming out Sara’s name as a storm raged around her.

“You don’t know what happened,” she said tightly.

“Then talk to me about it,” Tommy said, reaching across the table towards her. “I wanna be here for you, Fe.”

Dropping her fork to her plate, she nearly winced at the loud, resounding clatter. Then she was up on her feet before she knew it, her heart beating quickly in her chest as her breaths came out in uneven bursts. Tommy stared up at her with wide eyes, clearly not expecting such quick movement. The fight drained out of her as she reminded herself that he was only trying to help. Even so, she had no desire to talk about any of it. Not when there was very little chance that he’d actually understand. He didn’t deserve to be tainted by her darkness. Felicity had to carry it on her own.

“I’m sorry,” she said, slowly releasing the tension in her body. “I’m tired.”

Tommy looked like he wanted to push her to talk. Felicity felt grateful that he didn’t. Instead he nodded, putting his own fork down.

“There’s a few extra clothes and stuff in the dresser,” he said without standing up. “Maybe tomorrow we can hit the town and get some things of your own.”

Felicity nodded, taking a step backwards.

“Thanks Tommy,” she said with a weary smile.

It was entirely fake, meant to reassure him and nothing else. It didn’t do much good because he looked strained with worry as Felicity turned, leaving him alone in the dining room as she walked back to the foreign bedroom and closed the door behind her with a quiet click. Once she washed up a little bit and changed into some loose, soft pajamas, Felicity laid down atop the bed’s blankets with absolute certainty that any restful sleep would evade her. Which was why she was shocked to wake up an indeterminate amount of time later with Sara’s terrified scream echoing in her head as thunder boomed outside and a hand gripped her arm.

Panic shot through Felicity as her instinct flared up. Grabbing the person’s wrist, she hauled him over her shoulder and onto the mattress, bearing as much weight down on him as she could before pressing her forearm down on his windpipe just enough to have him wheezing a bit. Gritting her teeth, Felicity grabbed at his arm before he could try to pry her away, ready to break his wrist if he made another move. Then she saw his eyes, filled with panic and the slightest hint of fear.

“Felicity,” he choked out, growing still beneath her. “It’s me.”

Slowly, her rational thoughts began pushing through the survival mode that had taken over as soon as she felt his touch. She knew this man. He posed no threat. She had a nightmare. He tried to wake her from it. She knew him. She knew him. She knew him.

“Tommy,” Felicity said, her voice distant and foreign to her own ears.

She released him as if she’d been burned. Remorse crashed down on her along with the startling realization that she’d been very, very close to killing him. Felicity barely took a breath before she saw movement in the corner of her eye and shot off the bed, cursing herself for showing her back to the door.

“It’s okay,” Tommy said, pushing himself up as Felicity backed up to the wall and prepared for a fight. “It’s okay. It’s just Laurel.”

Lighting flashed through the window and lit up the room, showing Felicity that Tommy was telling the truth. Laurel was hovering in the doorway, staring between Tommy and Felicity with a concerned and terrified look on her face. She wasn’t supposed to be there. Felicity didn’t know whether to trust her. She never would have gone to sleep knowing that someone other than Tommy was in the apartment. It was stupid. She was defenseless in her sleep. Though not as defenseless as she should have been. Tommy would undoubtedly have bruises. All because of her. She should never have come back. All of these thoughts flitted through her mind quickly, leaving her no time to process any of them. Darkness crept in at the corners of Felicity’s vision as she took a shaking breath and curled her hands into fists.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hating how small her voice sounded as she sank down the wall until she was curled up on the floor with her knees to her chest.

A tear slipped down Felicity’s cheek as she bit down on her lip hard.

“Felicity,” Tommy said, pushing himself off the bed with a slightly hoarse voice.

She shook her head, putting her hand out to stop him from coming anywhere near her.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You’re okay,” he said, ignoring her warning hand to gather her in his arms.

With a violent shudder, she pressed her lips together tightly and slowly brought one arm up to wrap around him. Tommy let out a sigh of relief. He thought that she was coming back to herself. The problem was that she’d always been herself. She wasn’t a soft, sweet little girl like before. As she stared at Laurel, who returned the gaze with fear in her eyes, Felicity knew that she had a new part to play. She couldn’t convince them that she was the old Felicity. Not after this. No matter what, they could never know the truth. No one could. Not if she wanted to fulfill the mission that her father left behind for her. That was, after all, what she came back to do.

* * *

When Felicity walked out of her bedroom the next morning, Laurel was nowhere to be found. Tommy was sitting on one of his barstools with a mug of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other as he scrolled through something. A hot pot of coffee awaited her on the counter as well as an array of fresh fruits.

“Hey,” Tommy said, his eyes finding her as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Felicity sipped at it carefully once she made it up with two sugars and a dash of cream. It tasted perfect. She could feel Tommy’s eyes on her as she popped a grape in her mouth and made her way to the wall of windows that she hadn’t cared to notice the night before. The Starling City skyline stretched out before them. Her eyes caught on two buildings in particular. Merlyn Global and Queen Consolidated. Despite her best efforts, the latter brought one man to the forefront of her mind.

“Does your best friend still live in Starling City?” Felicity asked, refusing to say his name.

“Yeah,” Tommy said.

She could see him glance over his shoulder at her in the reflection of the windows.

“He’s VP of Applied Sciences at his family company.”

Felicity wasn’t surprised by that. Oliver always had it in him to be great. She remembered pushing him to stop screwing around with her loveable reprobate of a cousin so that he could pursue his potential. Even if it wasn’t any of her proddings that stuck, part of Felicity was glad to know that he’d gotten far, hopefully on his own merit.

“He went to MIT,” Tommy said.

Her eyes grew wide as she turned around to look at him.

“Really?” Felicity said.

He nodded, putting down his coffee.

“It was shortly after…” he trailed off, clearly not comfortable with referring to the shipwreck. “A lot of people thought he’d just drop out again, including his parents. But he graduated towards the top of his class with not only a bachelor’s degree, but a masters too.”

 _And nepotism did the rest_ , Felicity thought to herself.

She knew that wasn’t exactly fair on Oliver. He had always been smart and, if Tommy was to be believed, he apparently worked his way up to his position. It was probably just a matter of time before he accepted his father’s former place as CEO of Queen Consolidated. Robert Queen died of apparent natural causes when Felicity was on the island. Walter Steele was running the company for now but Felicity had no doubt that eventually Oliver would take over, especially if his mother had anything to say about it.

“We’re hitting the city today,” Tommy said, changing the subject.

Felicity turned around, her eyes zeroing in on a small bruise on his neck. It wasn’t the worst she could have done but she couldn’t shake the knowledge that she’d been incredibly close to hurting him far worse than she had.

“What about Laurel?” she asked, averting her eyes from him as she took a sip of coffee.

“She has work,” Tommy said, clearly trying to sound casual. “At the City Necessary Resources Initiative.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

He let out a laugh, nodding his head.

“She’s a lawyer. It’s a firm for people who can’t afford to pay for good representation,” Tommy explained.

Felicity didn’t say anything, though she felt impressed. Laurel had always wanted to do something to make the world better. She knew for a fact that Sara would be proud of her. Not that Laurel would probably care all that much. Felicity had a much different view of Sara Lance than the rest of the world. As much as she wished that she could shout from the rooftops of Starling City that she was a hero in her own right, all most people would remember about Sara was that she died shortly after screwing her sister’s boyfriend and supposedly wrecking the already broken relationship. Tommy sensed her unease but assumed that the source was something else entirely.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you she’d be here last night,” he said.

Felicity scoffed, shaking her head.

“I think we both know who should really be apologizing for last night,” she said, making her way back into the kitchen.

“I surprised you,” Tommy shrugged off.

She didn’t say anything, knowing that he probably wouldn’t listen. To say that Tommy Merlyn was stubborn would be a gross understatement. Finishing off her coffee, she set it by the sink before turning to face him.

“Let me go get dressed,” Felicity said, appreciating that he didn’t feel the need to talk to her about it.

He nodded, looking satisfied.

“I have a new car we can take for a spin,” Tommy called after her. “Butter me up and I may let you drive it.”

Felicity tried not to smile. It was hard.

“I think I ought to get my license renewed first, don’t you?” she asked loudly as she opened bedroom door.

“Probably have to get you declared legally not dead before you can do that,” he said.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Felicity said before grabbing some clothes and making her way into the bathroom to get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding through the streets of Starling City. Tommy was clearly having way too much fun in his new toy, while Felicity was sincerely hoping that the rain slick pavement didn’t cause them to skid into any buildings.

“Your funeral sucked, by the way,” Tommy informed her.

“Let me guess,” she sighed, shaking her head. “You got laid.”

“Like fish in a barrel,” he said with a grin.

She resisted the urge to glare over at him.

“I feel like I should return the favor during your welcome home bash,” Tommy said.

“My what?” Felicity asked, really hoping that she heard him wrong.

“You came back from the dead. That calls for the party of the year.”

She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Do I have to remind you that was never my thing?” Felicity asked, watching him execute a smooth turn onto a one way street.

“You know the world needs to be reintroduced to Felicity Smoak,” Tommy pushed on, sounding unconcerned about her words. “You know the rules of the game, Fe. Hide away and they say whatever they want. Show up and give them a few pretty smiles and you control the narrative, just like your mom used to do.”

She knew that he was right, even as much as she hated it.

“Is there any point in asking you to keep it tame?” Felicity asked.

“Absolutely none,” Tommy said with a wink.

She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. For just a few minutes, in that car with her cousin, she could almost pretend like the last five years hadn’t happened. She could almost believe that she was spunky little Felicity Smoak again with her entire life ahead of her to do whatever she wanted. Then, less than an hour later, she found herself leaning heavily against the side of Tommy’s car as tranquilizer from a dart spread through her system. Tommy was already on the ground. As men in masks surrounded her, she blinked through the blurriness taking over her vision at the man that one had shot half a dozen times. He was lying in a pool of his own blood. Felicity knew that he was already dead, just like these men would be in a matter of time. Because she wasn’t that girl from before and she never would be again. She was something else entirely and, unfortunately for these men, they were about to find out exactly what she could do.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> tumblr - [dreamsofolicity](https://dreamsofolicity.tumblr.com/)  
> twitter - [ogteamarrow](https://twitter.com/ogteamarrow)


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